Country Girl, City Boys
by SparkELee
Summary: Who'd have thought the girl from Montana would have not one, but two city boys to choose from? FMDL! REVAMPED ALL THE CHAPS! CHECK 'EM OUT!
1. Jealousy and Gratitude

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 1: Jealousy and Gratitude

They spent well over 40 hours a week together. They saw each other more often than they saw their families, if they had them, most of them didn't. Being CSI's didn't exactly afford them much of a personal life. Maybe that's what leads to all the interoffice relationships.

It wasn't just romantic relationships. No, it was much more complicated than that. For the 1st shift CSI team, they were each other's family. None of them had serious relationships outside the lab, at least not ones that lasted.

Mac's wife had been gone for 5 years now. Stella hadn't considered a relationship since Frankie. Hawkes, well he never seemed to date. Flack had a few flings but not stuck… And Danny… Well…. Different woman every week.

That left Lindsay. The misunderstood one. The one that wasn't a hardcore New Yorker. The transplant. The country girl.

She had become an interest to many people in the lab, and on many levels. Stella loved her because it gave her another woman to talk to, she treated Lindsay like a sister. Mac appreciated her for the different outlook she consistently presented at scenes and in the lab, for the breath of fresh air she seemed to breathe into his team.

The rest of the lab, both immediate and extended, had their reasons for their interest. Most of the lab rats and ME's liked her because she was kind and polite, something they weren't necessarily used to when it came to detectives and police officers.

She and Sid had become fast friends. He'd been considered eccentric and slightly crazy before Lindsay came along…. Now, he was eccentric and slightly crazy, but people talked to him.

Don Flack liked her because she was tough. Initially, he thought she'd be their weakest link, their dead weight. But she'd proven him wrong the second she'd stepped into the tiger cage. The girl might not be from New York, but Montana didn't raise a sissy. She could play with the big boys, and he had to respect that. Not to mention, she was sort of cute, if you liked that sort of chick… And truth be told, it was getting harder and harder for him to pretend like he didn't….

Danny Messer? His feelings toward the tough as nails country girl were more complicated. Flack may not have thought she was tough, but he'd never tried to dislike her. Not like Danny had. Danny had devoted a good amount of time to hating her. Or, at least, _trying_ to hate her.

She was unhateable. _Is that a word?_ He asked himself as he glanced across their shared office at the brunette at her desk, furiously typing away, brow furrowed.

She'd been Aiden's replacement. Yeah OK, Mac had said no one could take Aiden's place, but officially, she had. Aiden was fired, and a spot on the team had opened up and Lindsay had filled it, quite literally making her Aidan's replacement.

He'd been bound and determined to hate her. He'd done all he could to show her he didn't like her. It hadn't even phased her, which of course only served to egg him on even more. All he wanted was a reaction…

_I wonder if he knows that I know he hates me? _She glanced over at her constantly moody partner. _I will not let him take me down. He will not be my undoing._ To be fair, she hadn't exactly been thrilled with him either, mostly because of the nicknames and endless teasing, but she'd never been able to bring herself to hate him.

Her first impression of him had been that he was a cocky, know it all cop who got by on good looks and average intelligence.

And she hadn't been entirely wrong. He was a bit cocky… And well, good looks… That was putting it mildly. But, truth be told, he belonged there, in the lab, just like everyone else. He was diligent, thorough, intelligent, moreso than she was when it came to the ways of New York City. So she'd tried to like him, be kind to him, but thus far, he hadn't returned the favor. He teased, mocked, and taunted her endlessly. Only recently had he even begun to let up on the constant name calling, thanks to a couple of choice looks from Mac.

"Hey Linds. We have a DB over on Madison. Mac said you were free. Feel like takin' a ride?" Flack asked from the door. She turned her attention to Flack, offering him a shy grin. _Now there's a man that's easy to like, and not to mention, easy to look at._ He glanced over at Danny who was doing a very good job pretending that the two of them weren't in the room.

Flack's eyes went back to Lindsay's. She rolled her eyes at Danny's childish behavior. He winked at her and she felt her heart leap a bit. _Good lord he's attractive…But you don't pee where you eat…_.She mentally chided herself for her behavior and grabbed her kit, exiting the room without so much as a goodbye from her office mate/living statue.

Her scent wafted up into Danny's nostrils as soon as she'd blown by him. _Concentrate. You aren't supposed to like her. She's not your type of woman… Her type… Her type is dangerous._ He reminded himself. But he couldn't help but feel the tiniest twinge of jealousy over the genial relationship she had with Flack. _Shut up, you aren't jealous. Go back to work._

She was definitely a different species of woman, Flack knew that much. Women like her didn't exist in New York. Hell, up until he met her, he didn't know women like her existed period.

She'd been there for him when he'd been injured in the bombing. She'd been there almost every day, even before he woke up from the coma. She'd been there daily, for at least an hour, or so the nurses told him.

Which wasn't to say that the others hadn't visited, they had, and often, but Lindsay was always there the most and the longest. She'd sat by his bed, talked to him, told him about the day…. She was a large part of why he hadn't gone insane lying in the hospital. He hadn't thanked her yet, but he was planning to take care of that now.

Not that he'd been surprised. Lindsay struck him as the caring type. Normally, women who cared too much turned him off. But Lindsay, she was a good balance. She cared, but she wasn't the 'cry by your bedside' type. He liked that about her. Come to think of it, there was a lot he liked about her.

She'd been lost in her thoughts, which were currently alternating between her pissy, albeit hot, partner and the Grade A example of man meat sitting next to her when Flack pulled her from her thoughts.

"So, I never really got to thank you for all you did while I was in the hospital…" He told her, opening the conversation lightly.

"You don't have to thank me. I wanted to be there." She replied, smiling softly. She'd enjoyed their daily visits, both when he was in the coma and when he'd come out of it. There was something very calming about being in Flack's company, something very soothing…

"I know but still, you came and told me about everything that happened, even asked my opinion on your cases. You kept me sane Linds. So I thought, since we're getting off around the same time, I could buy you a drink." He finished quietly, his eyes on the road.

Lindsay was floored. _Wow do I feel like I'm back in high school… He was the popular jock who got all the girls and I was the geeky girl with the glasses… Now he wants to buy me a drink!_ "That's sweet Flack, but you don't have to do that, I mean, it's not necessary." She told him, giving him an out, so he didn't feel obligated.

"You're right. I don't have to do it, but to me, it is necessary. I had pegged you for someone entirely different. You fooled me. I wanna know how you did it." He said, his tone teasing as a slight smile formed on his face.

Her stomach was flipping giant cartwheels at that very moment. She managed a smile as he glanced at her.

"If you don't want to…" He trailed off, praying to God that she wanted to.

"NO! I mean, no, I want to." She protested, mentally chiding herself for getting overexcited. But if Flack noticed, he didn't show signs of it.

"Good." He said, not even bothering to keep the huge grin off his face.

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	2. Butterflies and Teenagers

Glad you're all enjoying. Here's another chapter!

I don't own them… If I did, this whole fiasco with D/L wouldn't be happening… I hope JB knows what he's doing….

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 2: Butterflies and Teenagers

The rest of the drive to the scene was in comfortable silence. They spent a few hours there, her processing and him gathering statements from witnesses. Hawkes had up with them, as he'd be at a previous scene with Stella a few hours before.

After the gory scene had been processed, the three of them climbed into the SUV and made their way back to the lab. The conversation between the three of them was comfortable and easy.

The three of them strode into the lab at around 3:30. "I need to meet up with Stella. I'll catch you guys later." Hawkes said as he veered off to the other woman's office.

Flack walked with Lindsay back to her office where Danny was still perched behind his desk, working on the endless pile of paperwork on his desk.

"So, you want to meet me at Nick's at 6?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

"I can at least walk with you, that is, unless, you're too good to walk across the street with me." He teased, folding his arms in front of him.

She smiled. "Fair enough. Elevators at 6." She suggested.

He gave her a half smile. "See ya then." He agreed and strode off to find Mac.

"He doesn't like when his employees date." Danny warned, referring to their boss as she made her way to her desk.

"It's not a date. We're just getting together for drinks. We do that here all the time." She argued as she sat down at her desk, not really all that concerned with what Danny had to say.

"We, as in a group of us, not just two." He pointed out, not moving his eyes from his computer screen.

She rolled her eyes in disbelief that he was actually making a big deal about this.

"Danny, Mac and Stella go out for drinks by themselves all the time. I think you're making a big deal out of nothing. Besides, what do you care?" She challenged, cocking her head to the side, in order to see past her computer screen.

"I don't. I'm just warning you." He protested with an aloof shrug of his shoulders.

"Right, like when you warned me that like Mac likes to be called 'sir'? Thanks, but I'll stick to my judgement on this one." She shot back before turning her attention back to the computer screen in front of her.

_Why do I even care? It's not like I'm jealous or anything. It doesn't matter what they do… God Messer, you're such an idiot._

The rest of the evening passed fairly quickly. She finished logging her evidence, took it down to trace, ran some fingerprints. But no matter what she did, she couldn't keep her mind off her 6 pm date…

At 5:45, she flicked her computer off and slapped the files into her outbox. She had 15 minutes to get ready for her date.

Danny glanced up and then at the clock. _She's cuttin' out early to get ready for her 'not a date' date with Flack…_

"You're leaving already? I thought this wasn't a date." He said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. Even as he said the words, he realized his slight obsession wasn't exactly earning him any points…. _Not that I care about points…_

"It isn't. But, I'm done, so I'm going to get going. Later Messer." She replied with a casual wave of her hand as she breezed out the door.

He didn't want to admit it, but it bothered him that she could just… brush him off like that without a backwards glance.

He tried to tell himself to go back to work, but he couldn't focus. He kept glancing out the office window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lindsay. _Did I really just think that? Since when do I sit and intentionally wait for any woman? Especially this one? _

His mental brow beating was put to a halt as he watched Lindsay come striding out of the locker room and over to the elevators. She'd changed into a form fitting red sweater and some really great looking jeans… _Why wasn't I aware of Montana's nice little behind? Why didn't I see that before? Oh right, 'cause she doesn't wear that sort of stuff around me._

He was jealous. Damn it. He could kick himself. He could barely admit that she was unhateable, let alone that he was attracted to her. And now, she was going out with Flack… They were going to go sit at Nick's… By themselves, right next to each other, having drinks, Lindsay giggling at the NON-funny jokes Flack would tell. The very idea made him sick.

Lindsay had butterflies in her stomach. The concept of sitting at a bar, alone with Don Flack… It made her feel like she was that dorky girl back in Davidson Washington High School, sitting in front of the class, lusting after the football player in the back of the room. _I have to stop with the high school comparisons… It was a long time ago, you aren't that girl anymore._ But even as she told herself that, she knew it wasn't entirely false. That 'inner dork' had nearly lost it when she'd first stepped foot in the NYC crime lab. That 'inner dork' had almost cried when she saw what sort of men she'd be working with. That 'inner dork' had passed out when Flack asked her to get a drink. And now that 'inner dork' was turning her insides to goo just thinking about being within smelling distance of Don Flack.

Her exploration into her inner self was cut short when Flack made his appearance. _He's wearing jeans! I've never seen him in those! And that navy sweater…Wow, the eyes…_ She visibly swallowed, trying to be cool, calm, collected, but failing miserably, much to her chagrin. _He's a guy, he won't notice._

Flack wasn't about to lie to himself. He loved seeing the affect he had on Lindsay. He knew he affected women, or at least they told him he did, most of the women he'd dated in the past were schooled in keeping their expressions in check. _Could always be the botox…_But not Lindsay. He read her like a book. And right now, she was nervous as hell, and damn it, he liked it. To him, it was real, it was honest, and those were two things Don Flack had learned to appreciate more than anything, especially when it came to women.

"Monroe. Like the red. You wear it well." Flack complimented. _Christ, could you be any less complimentary! Calling her by her last name… Her name is LINDSAY._ He felt like kicking himself. But before he could even rephrase his dopey words, her face lit up.

He'd never really paid her a compliment before… At most, she'd gotten a once over here and there, (and that was only when she wasn't paying attention) but never actual words. And you had to love Flack's way of wording things. "Thanks… Jeans, they work for you." She returned, hoping to mimic his low key way of complimenting.

He smiled to himself. _She's cute when she tries to act smooth.._ He pushed the elevator button and the doors slid open almost instantly.

"You first." He said, speaking the words out of habit. He may come off as a little rough around the edges, but he had manners. His mother had made sure of that.

She smiled. "Thanks." She replied and stepped on, Flack following close behind.

_Look at them…They're like lovesick teenagers…Staring at each other, smiling like idiots. I've never seen Flack treat a woman like that. He could have any girl he wants, and he goes after her? Why!?_ Danny knew better than to take his own musings seriously. Any man with half a brain knew that Lindsay was more than just some small town girl from Montana, knew that she was a hell of a woman, a hell of a catch… Most men wouldn't think twice about asking her out. _Guess that means I'm lacking some matter up there._ He watched as the two of them exchanged pleasantries and boarded the elevators. Something about the smooth metal doors sliding shut made him very queasy…. Like the doors had just shut on his chance with her.

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	3. Realizing the Truth

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 3: Realizing the Truth

The conversation was light and easy for Lindsay and Flack. They'd been at the bar for a little over an hour and most of their chatter consisted of breezy topics such as friends, movies, music, work occasionally entered the conversation but overall it was nothing too terribly personal.

"So I really meant what I said earlier. It really meant a lot to me that you did all that you did…" He said, obviously uncomfortable with his words, mostly because it was such a heavy topic of conversation, especially as far as bars were concerned.

She wished she could offer comfort but truth be told, she felt just as awkward. "Well… I mean, it wasn't a problem… I sort of felt like… Maybe it should have been me? I don't know. I felt responsible…" She trailed off, uncertain of her explanation.

He crinkled his eyebrows at her as he set his beer down. "You shouldn't feel responsible. I'm a cop. My job is dangerous. Yours is too. We all know the risks we deal with. It wasn't your fault…. I hope that's not the only reason you sat next to my bed…." He trailed off, a slightly teasing undertone evident in his voice. Truthfully, he did hope it wasn't the only reason she'd sat by his bed. He didn't want her pity… What he did want, well he wasn't entirely sure of that yet.

_What does he mean by that?!_ She was slightly flustered at the question and the slightly flirtatious hint it held. "Um, well no… I know we don't know each other well… But you… We get along pretty well and…Well…" She trailed off, unsure of what she was trying to say.

"Lindsay. You said 'well' 4 times in that statement. Exhale and try again." He said laughingly.

She did as he suggested and released her pent up oxygen. "I… I don't have a lot of friends here, and practically no family, so you guys at the lab… After awhile, you all sort of became my family, my friends. So it felt natural, it felt right, to go and be there with you… Plus I thought you might like the company, and I thought I'd be good at providing it." She explained at last. She was a tiny bit embarrassed at the revelation.

He was genuinely surprised at the reasoning behind her daily visits. He'd expected something… Well, he wasn't sure of what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't that. She'd been there because she was a good person and cared about the people around her. That concept was somewhat foreign to him, he hadn't been exposed to it as a child or even as an adult, save for a person or two.

And now, here was this girl, this girl that he'd always called "Detective Monroe" up until after the bomb, this girl that'd he barely known,…. She'd sat at his bed side everyday, through his coma and through his long road to recovery. talking to him, asking his opinion on cases, filling him in on everything, every detail she could think of, as far as day to day life in the lab went.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a tiny bit uncomfortable with Flack's deep and intense stare.

"That's…That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'm going to make sure I don't stop." He told her, his tone serious and soft.

She hadn't meant to evoke those kinds of emotions. This was supposed to be fun. They were sitting in a bar, having a drink together, they should be laughing, flirting… Not sharing deep thoughts…

Flack would be the first to admit that he wasn't normally attracted to women like her. She wasn't what he'd consider his type… But then, thinking that way hadn't gotten him too far in the dating world. She was a genuine person, and the first one he'd felt a connection to in a long time.

Danny was off at 7. He was torn. There was a part of him, a HUGE part of him, that wanted…scratch that, needed, to see Lindsay and Flack together. In laymen's terms, he was giving serious consideration to spying…. "I'm OK with that." He muttered to himself as he stepped onto the elevator.

But he knew Lindsay and Flack wouldn't be. Far from it. They'd both be pissed. It wasn't any of his business. He knew that. It didn't mean he liked it, but he certainly knew it. _Face it Messer, you're jealous._ But he was going to have to get over and past that… Especially if he was going to have a chance with Lindsay. The thought of having an actual shot with her, stopped him cold in the lobby. He'd never thought that far ahead. He knew he didn't like the idea of Flack and Lindsay and he knew he was more than a little jealous of Flack, but the idea of going out with Lindsay beyond the work environment, that was enough to stop him in his tracks. _Not a good thing Messer, not a good thing._

He had a decision to make. He could go spy on his best friend and the girl he secretly wanted, or he could go home. _Nick's is right across the street…_ He rationalized as he pushed through the doors and out into the New York night.

Who was he kidding? Nick's could have been clear across town and Danny would have still come up with an excuse to go by there.

Two minutes later, he was standing in front of Nick's. He peered (as discreetly as one can peer) into the bar, hoping to catch a glance.

Just then, he saw a head of curls fall backwards. Lindsay's head of curls to be exact. And she appeared to be laughing, which meant she was having a good time, without him. Never a good thing.

_Go home. Go home before you get caught. You need time to think, time to process_. Danny needed time to come up with a plan of attack.

A better man would have simply let it go, let them be happy, Flack was his best friend after all. Good thing Danny wasn't a better man.

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	4. Round 1

I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this!!!

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 4: Round 1

The next day, Danny strode into work determined, with a purpose. If Flack could take her out, so could he. He could be nice, he could be helpful, flirtatious even.

"Mornin' Montana." He greeted as he strode into their shared office. She glanced up.

"Danny." She returned before moving her eyes back to the file she was reading.

"How was your night?" He asked, hoping to draw her out.

She raised an eyebrow at his question. She and Danny hadn't been much for small talk lately.

She didn't answer right away, curious as to whether he'd offer another question. He did.

"You and Flack have a good time?" He continued, his voice steady, almost too steady, too casual.

"We had a nice time." She answered, keeping her response conservative, still not sure of his sudden interest in her life.

He crinkled his brow at this. "Only a nice time?" He questioned. _Either she's being honest and she didn't have a good time or she doesn't wanna tell me. She looked like she had a good time, so I'm gonna go with she doesn't wanna tell me._

"What gives Danny? Why do you care all of a sudden?" She finally had to ask, fed up with his vague and uncharacteristic line of questioning.

"Just being polite." He replied, keeping his voice neutral and nonchalant.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "You? Really?" She questioned, not believing what she'd just heard.

"Yeah. Sorry. I'll stop if it bothers you that much." He said with a shrug as he turned back to his desk.

She watched him in disbelief. At most, he'd been civil to her, and that was only in front of Mac. Never kind. But this… He seemed to be genuinely interested. And being that she spent quite a bit of time with him, it wouldn't hurt to hear him out, try to engage him… _It would sure as hell make my life a whole lot easier._

"Danny…." She said, unsure of what else to say, or if there was anything she could say.

He spun on his heel to face her.

"We had a great time. We went to Nick's, had a few drinks, got to know each other. He's a good guy." Lindsay elaborated, giving him a small smile.

Danny resisted the urge to question how the night ended, he knew better than to push her that far. "Well, good. I'm glad you guys had a good time." He replied, his voice kind and sincere.

She was shocked at his turn of emotions and feelings. He'd never given two shits about her doings until now. But it couldn't be jealousy, he wasn't acting jealous, didn't even sound jealous.

"Thanks Danny." She replied, still not entirely sure of what caused his drastic change in behavior.

10 minutes later he was preparing to run to Trace. "Hey Linds, feel like having lunch with me? Away from here, I mean?"

Lindsay wasn't sure why she said yes but there was something about his demeanor, his attitude that intrigued her. So she agreed. What she hadn't counted on was the soft squeeze he gave her arm as passed by on his way out. What she also hadn't counted on was the mushy feeling it left in the pit of her stomach._ That's a new one._

As soon as his back was to her, his classic 'cat that ate the canary' grin returned to his face. There was no doubt about it, Danny Messer was happy.

_Guess there is some truth to that whole 'kill em' with kindness' thing…_ He was so busy being proud of himself that he didn't even notice Flack until he ran into him.

"That's a shit eatin' grin if I've ever seen one Messer." Flack remarked as he took in the smaller man's expression.

"No idea what you're talkin' about Flack." He swiftly replied as he moved around the man. _Let the games begin…_

Flack followed the man's actions with his eyes, finally just shrugging before entering Lindsay and Danny's office.

"Hey Linds." He greeted, offering a smile as she turned her eyes to his.

Lindsay felt the butterflies in her stomach start to take flight. "Hey Don." She returned, her voice barely above a whisper.

He hadn't kissed her good night the previous evening for a reason. He wanted to take it slow with her, and as attractive as she was to him, he didn't want to push it. "What's on your agenda for today?" He asked as he passed behind her, his hand grazing her back with his hand as he came to stand beside her.

"Not much, unless we get a call. I have some clothes to process, paperwork to finish, evidence to log." She listed off, realizing how boring that sounded as she said it. _How stupid does that sound? He's a detective…A real one… You're a lab rat._

"Sounds intense. Glad it's you and not me. But do you want to grab lunch with me? Get away from the lab?" He asked, his hands buried in the pocket of his suit jacket, his head down, his eyes scanning the evidence laid on the table in front of them, desperately hoping he didn't sound like the idiot he felt like.

_Uh oh…Do I break with Danny?... But he's being nice now… There's gotta be something to that..._ "Well, actually, I have lunch plans with Danny…." She trailed off, not happy that she was turning him down.

Flack was quiet for a moment as he digested this. Then he thought back to his brief run in with Danny. _That's what that look was about… _He gave her a small smile. "I'll give you a call later on, OK?" He suggested, swallowing the urge to make a comment about Danny.

She turned on that smile, the one that made his heart hurt a little. "Sounds great." She said, placing a hand on his arm. He smiled, but only until his pager went off.

"Gotta go. Talk to you later." He said, squeezing her arm as he passed by.

She felt similar tingles to the ones Danny had caused earlier. At the realization that Danny was having the same effect that Don was having, she dropped her pen.

"You gotta be kidding me." She muttered, head in her hands.

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	5. The Truth Comes Out

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out

Lindsay found herself glancing at the clock every few minutes, to the point of obsession. _Why am I being like this? It's DANNY. _ But somehow, this familiar reminder wasn't kicking in. It only seemed to make her more nervous and that definitely wasn't what she was going for.

Finally, 5 minutes til noon, she pushed back from her desk and headed to the ladies' room to appraise her appearance. Light green sweater, charcoal gray pants and black pointed boots. She ran a hand through her curls, fluffing them lightly. She freshened the little bit of make up she was wearing and spritzed on a dab of her favorite perfume. She headed out of the bathroom, stopping by the locker room to grab her coat and purse, ignoring the question bouncing through her mind at that moment… _Why put in all this effort for him?_ _He hated me 2 days ago! It's just curiosity, that's all. No other reason, I'm just curious about the sudden change in disposition…_

She rounded the corner and saw Danny leaning against the wall, all thoughts of effort and curiosity vanished from her mind. Her stomach faltered a little. _Stop. You cannot do this to me now, you aren't supposed to act this way around him, it's Danny._ She commanded her stomach, hoping to coax in back into normalcy.

"Ready Montana?" He questioned, pushing off the wall with a boot clad foot and into her personal bubble, his cologne immediately invading her nostrils.

She caught herself before she showed a visible reaction. "Let's go." She managed to choke out, smiling nervously at him.

Danny wasn't a CSI because it sounded cool. He was much more observant than normally given credit for. He was very well aware of most people's perception of him and he enjoyed proving people wrong.

His well calculated invasion of her personal space had an affect on her. Her nostrils flared, her eyes fluttered, skin reddened a shade. He'd had to restrain the grin threatening to burst onto his face when he'd seen her reaction. _I got to her… Me, the guy she's trying to hate… I got to her…_

But somehow, despite the fact that this could be counted as a victory…. He was having a difficult time thinking of it that way… It did little in fact, to qualm the butterflies now taking flight in his stomach… _Where the hell did those come from??!_ Of all the things he should be feeling right now, nervous should NOT be one of them. But even as he reminded himself of this very fact, it did absolutely nothing to stop the butterflies, if nothing they swarmed even more.

_Great… Just what I need. Feelings…_ Just as that concept sunk in, Flack rounded the corner, his eyes meeting Danny's almost instantly. The taller man's eyes narrowed at Danny.

_Doesn't feel too good does it Flack?_ Danny gave him a small grin as he placed a hand on Lindsay's lower back, leading her onto the elevator.

Don Flack couldn't deny the twinge of anger and jealousy as Lindsay stepped onto the elevator with Danny. Messer always got the women. They practically threw themselves at his feet. He never had to chase them.

Women rarely threw themselves at Flack. They always thought he was too serious, too intense… Apparently being a detective didn't bring in as many women as the stereotype would have everyone believe. In fact, it usually had the opposite effect, at least as far as his dating life was concerned.

And now, the one woman who shows more interest in him than in Messer, and Danny just can't let that go. He had to turn it into a competition.

_Fine… If this is how he wants to do this…_

Danny breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors slid shut. But the moment he exhaled he realized it was just him and her…

"Danny… Did you ask me to lunch… Because of Flack?" She asked softly. The question had been on her mind since she'd seen the two of them exchange a glance in the hall before they'd left for lunch and everything had fallen into place.

"No. I asked you because I've been an ass to you and I didn't have any reason or right to be. So I thought maybe I should get to know you a little better before I start acting like a bastard." He explained, surprising himself by actually meaning what he was saying.

Lindsay was floored by the admission. She'd been expecting something a little more… smooth… Especially coming from someone with a reputation like his…. She'd tried to ignore the shiver that ran down her spine when he'd placed a hand on her lower back before. But now, she didn't feel so bad. In fact… She almost wanted him to touch her again…. Almost.

Lunch was at a little corner café 5 minutes from the lab. He held her door, led her to the table, let her order first, all of it. And it wasn't that he was trying to impress her, he wanted her to know that he could be a good man too. _Scratch the would. I am a good guy. Just as good as Flack_. As much as he'd tried to dislike her, he'd seen how it easy it was to like her. So easy in fact, he even saw why other men would like her too.

He just didn't want 'other men' to include Flack. It wasn't often that the taller man dated. He was pretty picky when it came to his women. In fact, in all the years Danny had known him, Flack had dated less than 5 women. None of which had enticed Danny in the slightest. Danny and Flack had never shared the same type when it came to women… Which had left Danny wondering what it was about Lindsay Monroe that had both of them going.

But as he sat with her, talking to her, watching her… He was beginning to see what it was that Flack liked about her... And, he was beginning to like the same things…. And as he watched and enjoyed, he began to realize this whole friendly competition… was fast turning into a race for her heart. And that concept… He hadn't been prepared for that… It left a nasty taste in his mouth… It was something he didn't really want to think about anymore.

Nor did he like to think about the fact that he'd lied to her, at least in the beginning… This had everything to do with Flack. At first, it had just been a matter of not letting Flack beat him at his own game. But it wasn't just that… Not anymore.

_Way to go Messer. Way to go._


	6. Wanna Trade

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 6: Wanna Trade?

_I am not supposed to "like" Danny Messer._ _I am not supposed to "like" Danny Messer._ She knew it was silly but she thought if she repeated it to herself, a la a mantra, then it would convince her and she could just put this little mess out of her mind.

Thus far, it wasn't working.

She stepped into her apartment at 7 pm that night feeling no less confused than she'd been when she and Danny had parted ways after lunch.

FLASHBACK TO LUNCH

Lunch had been a surprise to her. She'd enjoyed herself and she hadn't anticipated that.

In fact, there'd been a lot she hadn't anticipated. He'd told her about his family, his life, his involvement in Tanglewood. He'd shared enough that she was interested and that meant complications.

"Ready Montana? That evidence isn't gonna process itself." He reminded her.

For once, she smiled at the nickname. "Let's get to it." She agreed, standing as she pulled her wallet out.

"Don't insult me." He told her, laying a couple of bills down to cover their meal.

"Danny, I-" She started, prepared to state her case.

"I asked you to lunch, I'm pretty sure, so I'm gonna pay." He said, his blue eyes burning into her, making her warm from the inside out.

"OK. Thanks Danny." She barely managed to choke out, as she was now feeling very warm.

_Stop it. You don't like him. You like Don, remember? Don is much better for you._

He was much better for her, or at least, he had been until lunch. Now it looked like Danny was going to make a run of it.

They strode back to the lab in comfortable silence, not needing to speak for once.

END FLASHBACK

Logically, Lindsay knew that Don was the better one for her. He was polite, kind, well mannered, the all American guy, New York version. He played sports, kept his nose to the grindstone, respected women and, despite his good looks, was not the kind to mess around on women. He was a guy her dad would approve of.

Her dad would hate Danny. He was the classic bad boy. Dangerous smile, serious bedroom eyes. The guy every girl wanted, despite knowing he would surely break their hearts. Girls didn't care, for a night with Danny Messer, what's a little heart break in return? He was wild, untamable. At least, stereotypically speaking he was. He seemed to be doing everything in his power to convince her that he was much more than just a bad boy with a reputation a mile long.

The fact that he was trying to convince her of that, both intrigued her and made her suspicious.

At first, she'd thought it had to do with Don. That Danny just didn't want Don to get ahead of him. But during the course of lunch, she realized that wasn't the case. Too bad, she'd almost hoped it was. It would have made her life a lot easier if he'd just lived up to his reputation like he was supposed to.

She sighed, deciding to take a shower, in hopes that it would clear her head, along with a little dinner and some wine.

Twenty minutes later, she stepped from the shower, clean and refreshed, but her mind still cloudy with indecision.

She should be thanking her lucky stars that two men as attractive and smart as Danny and Flack were pursuing her, most women would kill for that. But for some reason, at that moment, she'd do just about anything to trade places with one of those women.

She quickly dried and dressed in comfortable clothes and made her way to the kitchen to grab her dinner and wine.

She made it to the fridge before her cell went off. She fished it out of her purse and glanced at the caller ID.

**FLACK** was flashing across the screen. She couldn't help the small leap of happiness in her heart.

She flipped it open. "Hey." She said, temporarily abandoning her dinner plans and settling on the couch.

"So, how was lunch with Danny?" He asked, cutting right to the chase.

She had to laugh at his direct attitude.

"Wouldn't you like to know…. ." She teased, a small giggle escaping.

"So sue me for wanting to scope out the competition." He replied, a small hint of laughter in his voice. But they both knew, without the words even being necessary, that he was actually very serious about the statement he'd just made.

"You say 'scope' but really, you mean 'spy' don't you?" She questioned, secretly not loving the competition.

"So he is?" Flack asked, not bothering to disguise the disappointment from his voice.

"He is what?" She returned, confused.

"Competition." He clarified for her.

"Flack..." She said with a heavy sigh.

"You never said he wasn't. Which means he is. You like him." Don analyzed, his tone now sounding more than just disappointed.

She wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't expecting this, at least not this early in the game.

"Why Linds? Why him? I mean, I'm the exact opposite of Danny. Every woman who dates him ends up getting hurt. Why do you want to put yourself through all of that? I won't do that to you Lindsay. You know I won't." He told her, not at all ashamed of what he was saying. Rarely did he reveal himself in this manner, but then, rarely was he put up against Messer in a race for a woman's affections. _I don't get why this isn't a no brainer… She's a scientist for Christ's sake!_

She felt a small twinge in her heart. "I know you wouldn't Flack. I know." She said, feeling bad for him, she knew Flack got a lot of shit for the manner in which he handled women.

"Then why not just date me? Why go through all of this?" He questioned.

Just as she was about to answer, her call waiting beeped, indicating another call.

She pulled back, groaning at the name that was flashing on the screen.

**DANNY.**

Reviews? Thoughts? Ideas? Comments?


	7. The Importance of Being the First Call

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 7: The Importance of Being the First Call

She cringed at the name. _Damn it._ To click over or not to click over? She sighed softly. "Don, can you hold on a sec?" She asked.

"Sure, no prob." He replied easily.

She thanked him and clicked over. "Hey Danny." She greeted, leaning against the counter.

"Hey Montana. What's goin' on?" He questioned.

"Not much Danny, but I am on the other line." She told him, not wanting to leave Flack hanging.

"With who? Your mom?" He asked, clearly curious about who he was being dismissed for.

For a moment, she considered lying to him, because after all, he'd never know. But lying wasn't something she did and she could see this situation becoming somewhat sticky, she felt it best to be up front and honest.

"Actually, I'm talking to Flack." She told him, keeping her voice steady and neutral.

Silence took over their conversation. _Don't get upset or say something stupid. It's not going to get you anywhere with her._ He had to remind himself that being hot headed was going to get him nowhere.

"That's OK Montana. I understand. I'll see you tomorrow." He said agreeably.

Lindsay, who had been waiting for a snide comment or remark of some kind, was more than shocked. _Wasn't expecting that._ "Thanks Danny. I'll talk to you then." She replied and got off. She quickly settled into the couch and clicked back over to Flack.

"Sorry about that." She apologized when she was back on the phone with him.

"No problem. How's Messer doin'?" He asked, his tone light and easy. He was a lot of things, including competitive, but he was not afraid of Danny Messer.

Lindsay smiled at his knowledge of the other caller. "How did you know?" She asked.

She could almost hear him shrug over the phone. "Had to be someone pretty unimportant for you to ditch them to talk to me." He replied, unable to keep the grin off his face. He was right, it had been Messer, and she'd ditched him. She'd ditched Messer to talk to him, even he had to admit that was something that didn't happen too often.

She smiled and rolled her eyes at his conclusion drawing abilities. "He's not unimportant. It's just…. I was talking to you first. Didn't want to be rude. I would've done the same thing if it had been him I was talking to first." She reminded.

She heard his slight chuckle over the phone. "Man, Monroe, you really know how to cut a guy down a notch or two, don't ya?" He remarked, taking her comment in stride. Truthfully, her response didn't surprise him, he knew that she'd have said something to that effect.

"Well, gotta keep the playing field even." She said, trying to keep mood light. Instead, it appeared to have the opposite effect. He went silent.

"Well, It is a competition after all…" He trailed off, knowing full well that it had become just that.

"Don, I didn't… It's not…" She tried to reply, but not finding the words.

"Linds, it's OK. It is what it is. I understand completely. And I'm OK with it. I'm not gonna lie, I don't love that I'm goin' head to head with Messer, seeing as he's my friend and all, but I… I dunno…. I guess I think you're worth fightin' for." He said softly.

She was sure she could almost hear the shrug of his shoulders as he explained it in his typical yet reassuring no nonsense New Yorker way.

She smiled into the phone as she responded. "Well… I'm glad you're OK with it. I guess I'm still trying to figure out if I'm OK with it." Were the words that she managed to get out.

"Well, you could just make it easy on all of us… Just pick me." He suggested, a hint of teasing in his voice.

She giggled a bit, but it ended in a sigh, the smile fading from her face. "Ya know… If Danny hadn't….. I don't know, tossed his hat in the ring, I guess… It wouldn't have been a contest." She admitted, almost wistfully.

Don was silent for a full 30 seconds before he spoke. "Yeah… I know. But listen Linds, I'm gonna go… Can I reserve you for a date this weekend?" He asked, not bothering to mask the hope in his voice.

She liked that he didn't hide his desire to see her. It was very adult of him to allow her to see that he liked her and wanted to spend time with her.

"I'd like that." She replied, smiling once again.

"Good. We'll talk tomorrow. Night Lindsay." He said.

"Good night." She responded softly.

With that, they both clicked off, smiles gracing both their faces.


	8. Motives

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 8: Motives

FRIDAY NIGHT – LINDSAY'S DATE WITH FLACK

Lindsay entered her apartment at 5:30 PM feeling nothing short of exhausted. Whoever thought that love triangles were exhilarating and exciting ought to be shot.

The week had been nothing short of psychotic. She'd gotten into work the morning after agreeing to a weekend date with Flack only to find breakfast on her desk, along with a note from Danny.

_Montana-_

_Sorry for interrupting you last night._

_Here's part one of my apology._

_Part two is Saturday night, 7 pm, if you're up for it._

_  
Danny_

To say she was surprised would have been putting it mildly. He wasn't the kind to pursue in this manner. She'd expected him to be aggressive and push. Or rather, she'd hoped this would be his technique, because that would have made life easier on her… She could just choose Flack and be done with it.

_I could do that now and probably never look back…_ But it was the 'probably' part that left her feeling like she had to see this new side of Danny through before she made any snap decisions.

It wasn't that she didn't know what was going on. She knew Danny's type well enough to know that this wasn't the manner in which he normally pursued women. So really, it was matter of his motives…

Was he behaving in this manner because he genuinely wanted her and was trying to appeal to her in a way she would respond to?

Or was he simply trying to give Flack a fight?

A week ago she'd have said it was the latter, with 100 certainty.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

She pondered this concept as she stepped under the inviting warm spray of her shower. At least she didn't have to question Flack's technique. That thought brought a smile to her face.

Flack was about as honest as they came. She felt comfortable around him. Not that he didn't get to her, didn't get under her skin, because good lord, all it took was one sidelong glance from those bright blue eyes….

She shook her head, trying to clear her head. She quickly finished her shower. She did a quick blow dry, leaving her hair slightly damp and a bit wavy.

She applied her makeup, going with a slightly different look than what she wore in the lab. 10 minutes later, she stepped back, satisfied with her work.

She strode into the bedroom and over to her closet to debate her clothing for the evening. She had no idea what they were doing and he hadn't given her any indications.

Then, as she was pondering her options, she had a brilliant idea. She yanked on sweats and a zip up hoodie and plopped herself on the couch and waited.

15 minutes after she sat down, he buzzed her apartment. She quickly granted him access and he was at her 15th story apartment in no time.

She swung open the door and immediately felt dizzy. Dark blue suit and black button down… _Kill me now…_

"Um, wow, well that's an outfit." He told her, attempting to get around this situation as nicely as possible.

"This isn't what I'm wearing." She informed him, moving aside to let him in.

He expelled a breath and grinned.

"Are you going to change?" He questioned, assuming she was, in light of her revelation.

"I can't, not yet." She replied, a devilish smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Why?" He asked, liking this little game less and less by the minute as she advanced on him.

"You didn't tell me what we were doing. You gave me no indication. So you get to pick out my outfit." She explained, as she was now pushing him down the hall to her room.

She threw open her closet door.

"Have fun. Let me know when you're done. And nothing slutty! I'm saving that for my date with Danny!" She called as she exited the room.

Uh oh… What will Flack pick? What are they going to be doing on their date?


	9. Wine and Debs

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 9: Wine and Debs

_Date with Danny?? Nothing slutty??! God I hate this._ Exhaling a deep breath, he surveyed the closet.

He pulled out a satiny looking black dress. It was sleeveless, with scalloped lace straps and a rounded neckline. The skirt puffed out a bit, right under a wide black ribbon that would hit at her waist. He laid it on the bed, and surveyed her shoes, picking out a pair of sky high pointed heels… He loved when women wore shoes like those… So sexy.

Just as he was about to close her closet and tell her he was done, a small smile formed on his lips.

He swiftly grabbed all her dresses and skirts, piling each one over his arm, keeping an ear out for movement from the living room.

Once he had them all in his hands, he turned around, looking for a place to go with them. Nowhere.

He peeked out her door. Her small guestroom was right across the hall. She wouldn't even see him walk by. He scurried to the other room, her back turned, focused now on the television. He quickly threw open the small closet, excited to find it full of all kinds of various stuff. He quickly shoved the clothes in the far corner, then replaced all the stuff.

He surveyed his handi-work. _Damn I'm good._

He snuck back into her room and shut the closet door with a loud thud. He grabbed the shoes and the dress and carried them into the living room.

"Nice… Leave it to a man to pick black." She said, plucking his findings from his hands and hurrying to the bathroom to change.

5 minutes later, she grabbed her black purse and they were out the door.

He was nervous… He couldn't believe it, but he was nervous. Women never made him nervous.

They got down to his Tahoe and he opened the door for her and he was rewarded with a soft 'thank you' from her.

"So I'm not so good at romantic stuff. But I figured I oughta give it a shot." He told her as they drove to an undisclosed location.

She smiled at his awkwardness. It was endearing really. She reached over and patted his arm. "I'm not worried." She assured him.

10 minutes later they pulled up to one of the harbors near the Hudson. She looked over at him, now thoroughly confused.

He just smiled and nodded for her to get out.

Once they were out and indeed walking towards the harbor, he gave in.

"Ok, so one of my buddies mentioned this boat thing, where you can eat on it and I guess you get a really good view of the city and the stars and I thought that'd be cool, and I've never done it, so it's a first for both of us." He explained, his tone sheepish and hesitant.

Once he'd finished explaining, he looked over at her, half expecting her to burst out laughing. She was smiling at him. "That sounds amazing. I've never seen the city from a boat. And I haven't been on one since I left home." She confessed.

This time his smile was big and genuine. _In the words of Bart Simpson, Danny Messer, eat my shorts!_

They quickly boarded the boat and were shown to a table for two near the front. It was small, nestled in a corner. They slid onto the soft benches behind the linen covered table.

A waiter came with menus and a wine list. "We'll have the Haven House Cabernet. Nothing later than 2002." He told the man smoothly after briefly skimming the wine list.

He glanced over at her. Her mouth was hanging open in shock. He reached over and gently pushed her chin up.

"What?" He asked, a small grin playing at his lips.

"You're a wine freak." She said, completely surprised by this new bit of information.

"I think the term you're looking for is aficionado." He corrected.

"Oh, oh, oh… I'm so sorry… Wine freak." She mocked, giggling as she shot him a small smile.

He laughed at her reaction. Rarely did he get to joke wit her like this.

"Go ahead and laugh. That's great. I'll remember that." He replied, putting on his best wounded face.

She rolled her eyes, patting his hand. "I'm sure you'll be fine. But seriously… What other secret bits of knowledge are you hiding? And who on earth taught them to you?" She asked.

He smiled devilishly at her. He leaned in close, so close she could feel his breath on her ear. "Wouldn't you like to know…" He whispered in her ear, his hand now lightly resting on her upper back, right where the skin of her back met her neck. He smiled in satisfaction when he felt a slight shiver go through her.

She was stopped from saying anything further by the appearance of their waiter. They ordered, lobster bisque for her, and a seafood platter for him.

"It was my mother." He confessed after he pushed away his empty plate.

She glanced over at him, obviously confused. "The wine thing… And my other 'bits of knowledge'. They come from my mother. She was a deb… You know? A debutante. Anyways, that's how she met my dad. They got married, and she had my older brother and sister, and me. And she made sure we knew everything she did. Wanted us brought up right." He told her, taking a sip of wine.

"Wow. So did you have to go to all the dancing and etiquette courses?" She asked, leaning back a little, resting against the soft velvet back.

He nodded. "I did. I learned all of it. Learned all the dances, which forks to use, how to properly fold a dinner napkin. The only thing I refused to learn was how to speak French. Man's got to put his foot down sometime." He said, a sheepish grin on his face.

"I can't believe this. I never took you for that kind of background." She admitted as he poured her a second glass of wine.

"I don't exactly go around advertising it. I had a normal childhood, except for that aspect." He explained.

"So your mom met your dad there? Was he her escort?" She questioned.

Flack snorted in response. "Hardly. He was waiting tables. My ma thought he was good looking and dangerous. Pop thought she was beautiful. You know how the story goes." He answered as he lightly tapped her arm.

"So your dad was ok with all of that 'finer life' training your mom put you and your brother and sister through?" She asked.

"Not even close. He became a cop shortly after they met. He thought it was all bullshit. But, it was the one thing she held her ground on, insisting her children grow up with manners and the ability to behave in social settings. Up until that point, my father thought manners went as far as 'please' and 'thank you'. She proved him wrong." Flack said with a chortle.

"So you followed in his footsteps… You became a socially educated cop." She finished, amazed at this little tidbit of information.

"You caught me. I rarely let it show though. The merciless teasing and ragging would destroy my reputation." He informed her.

"So what you're saying is… This is privileged information." She surmised, knitting her brow in thought.

His arm was resting loosely on the back of the velvet covered bench. He brought it closer to her, his hand resting on her shoulder, he gently nudged her to him.

"Indeed it is. You'd do well to remember that." He warned, his breath tickling her ear.

She laughed out loud at his warning. "I'll keep your secret. For now." She promised.

"I'll take it." He agreed.

They quieted down after that, the sun was finally sinking into the water. The waiter came by and lit their small hurricane lamp candle and handed them the dessert menu.

Lindsay watched the sun disappear as Flack perused the menu. "How do you feel about Crème Brule?" He asked.

"I have very passionate feelings for it." She replied with a smile.

Flack signaled the waiter and the dessert was ordered.

He settled back in, and took it all in. The sky was a deep purple and getting darker as the night sky took over.

She was cold. She was doing her best to keep from shivering but she was fighting a losing battle. She was very aware that his arm was still around the back of the bench. She could easily scoot over and she knew he wouldn't mind. _You can do it. It's just a little bit to your right. This is not high school. You're a big girl. He likes you._

Emboldened by that reminder, she committed to it, and moved to her right, fitting herself right up against his side. She felt his warmth wash over her. _Good move._

"Cold?" He asked, his voice lower than normal. He'd been a little surprised when she'd scooted over and tucked into his side. Not that he was complaining about a woman pressing up against him, but he'd been a little taken aback nonetheless. Lindsay didn't really strike him as the bold type.

"Yep. You're warm. And I do sort of like you." She teased as she felt his arm come down and wrap around her.

"Sort of huh? Well, let's see if I can change that." He said, and without any further hesitation, he leaned down and captured her lips with his in a soft kiss.

His lips were soft against hers, she moved closer, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder.

The kiss was gentle and sweet. She didn't realize he was capable of such a kiss.

Her lips tasted a bit like wine, but mostly, he tasted her. It took every ounce of self control not to haul her into his lap and bury his hands in her hair.

But this was not the place. So, before it could get out of hand, he broke the kiss. He was rewarded with a slightly flushed Lindsay Monroe.

"That color… Your cheeks… It looks good on you." He breathed, trying to control his own breathing.

She grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She felt like she was 15 in the backseat of a car in a drive in movie.

An hour later, he was walking her to her door. "This was… Just amazing." She told him as she turned to face him when they reached her apartment.

He advanced on her, and she took two steps back before she was up against the door.

Her heart skipped a little as he lightly pressed himself up against her. She could smell his masculine cologne and it made her knees a little weak. She swallowed and locked eyes with the detective.

"I agree. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to give you a proper goodbye." He told her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but he caught her lips in a kiss, wasting no time in wrapping one arm around her waist and sinking the other one into her hair.

She felt his tongue tracing the seam of her lips and she automatically parted them, all of a sudden really needing to feel his tongue in her mouth.

Her need was granted. He moaned at the feel of her tongue fighting hers for dominance. Good Lord… If she kept this up, he'd start misbehaving….

After several more heated kisses, they finally broke apart, the need for oxygen apparent.

"That's a hell of a goodbye." She panted out, her hand on his arm.

He grinned, his own face a bit flushed.

"I don't do anything half assed angel." He told her. With that, he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Good night." He called, strolling down the hallway.

THERE'S THE DATE!!

So how did I do?


	10. Chicken in the Garden

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 10: Chicken in the Garden

_Bzzzzzzzzzzz Bzzzzzzzzzz!_ Lindsay fumbled blindly for her phone as it vibrated on her bedside table.

She rubbed her bleary eyes and flipped it open.

_2 New Messages_

She pressed the 'Read' option and the first message popped up.

_You looked beautiful last night angel. Hope you'll let me take you out again._

She smiled at Flack's message. It was nice to feel pretty at 9 AM. She quickly typed back.

_I'm sure that could be arranged. ;)_

She backed out of the screen and clicked on the next message.

_Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. Hope you're ready for tonight. I am. Don't forget I'm picking you up at 7:30._

"I feel unbelievably special for 9 AM!" She chirped to herself as she sent her response back to Danny.

_I'm looking forward to it._

She sighed as she slipped out of bed. She fully intended on being lazy all day. She was determined to enjoy her day off to the fullest. She spent the day reading, shopping and napping, and by 4 o'clock, she was about to jump in the shower. She had to admit, she was more excited about her date than she thought she would be.

Flack spent most of the day playing a game of pick up basketball with a few of his PD buddies. His head wasn't exactly in the game though, as his thoughts kept wondering back to Lindsay and their evening.

So much so that he'd missed two easy shots… In a row.

"FLACK!!" Chris, one of his teammates yelled angrily.

He held up his hand in apology as Chris jogged to his side. "What the hell is going on?!" he asked.

Flack shook his head. "Sorry…. I'm just not with it." He replied sheepishly.

"Yeah, I noticed. Where the hell are you??!" Chris questioned.

"Don't worry about it. I'm back, it's fine. I got this." Flack told him, shaking his head, as if to clear it, and heading back to the court.

Lindsay stepped out of the shower, wringing out her hair and patting herself dry. She ran a quick comb through her hair and slathered herself in moisturizer.

She re-entered her bedroom and headed for the closet, having already mentally picked out her outfit, her dark blue v-neck dress. It had been the first dress she'd bought in New York. It was perfect, it fit close to her body without giving the appearance of being tacky or overly slutty.

She threw open her closet and her eyes went wide. All of her dresses were gone! She pawed through her pants and shirts and discovered her skirts were missing too.

She stepped back and sank onto the bed in total disbelief. It was gone. She was completely shocked. It had been there yesterday, she'd gone through it. Then, a light bulb went off in her head.

She reached for her phone and dialed Flack.

"Lookin' for something Angel?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Only half my wardrobe." She replied, trying hard to sound stern, unable to do so.

"Can't imagine why I'd know where your clothes are…" He told her, not even bothering to wipe the grin off his face.

"I think you know." She shot back, running a hand through her wet hair.

"I might." He responded evasively.

She sighed. She knew this game. "What do you want?" She asked.

There was silence on his end of the line. He was obviously giving it some serious thought.

"I want lunch with you. All week." He decided after a long moment.

She grinned. He was clever. He knew she'd taken to spending some serious lunch time with Danny.

"Deal." She agreed at last.

"They're in the back of your guest room closet, behind the boxes." He replied dutifully.

"Thanks Don." She said, preparing to hang up.

"This is normally where I'd tell you to have a good night, but given the circumstances…" He trailed off.

"Understood." She told him, a small smile on her face.

"So instead… Just think of me." He suggested, his tone giving no sense of teasing. He was being serious. He wanted to be on her mind all night.

"Flack…" She sighed, her tone giving off a warning laced with understanding. How could she not get it? Flack's intentions were true and genuine and he didn't love that he had to compete with his best friend, she was sure.

"You know you will. You'll be comparing everything he does with everything I did. You'll think of me." He assured her, his tone confident but not cocky.

"Bye Flack." She told him, not acknowledging his words, mostly because they weren't far from the truth.

"Bye Angel." He said and then clicked the phone off.

She retrieved her clothing and laid the blue one on the bed.

She was ready at 7:29.

She was waiting at 7:35.

She was worried at 7:45.

She was pissed at 8.

He knocked at 8:15.

"You're late." She told him, swinging the door open, coming face to face with a very guilty looking Danny.

"I'm so so sorry. I'm never late, I just got caught up…" He trailed off.

"I was this close to putting my sweats back on and calling Flack." She told him, not even caring at the moment that it wasn't the nicest thing to say.

He winced at her words. "I'm sorry. Please… Just come with me, OK? I promise you'll understand once you see…" He trailed off, his hand on her arm, gently tugging on her, suggesting she go with him.

She sighed but nodded. She was curious and he seemed so apologetic…

He drove in silence, stealing glances in her direction.

"Are you still mad at me?" He asked tentatively.

"I'm not mad. I just… Let's just say you have a lot of making up to do." She replied at last, struggling to come up with the words.

He swallowed. "I can only imagine." He muttered, mentally cursing himself.

A few moments later, they pulled up to a nondescript looking building. "Where are we?" She asked, furrowing her brow.

"My apartment." He returned, as if it were the most obvious answer.

"Why?" She pestered.

"Would you just stop with the interrogation and live a little? You'll see soon enough." He reassured her.

She reluctantly agreed and climbed out of the car.

He led her inside and soon they were in the elevator. He pushed the button for the roof.

She started to open her mouth but was quickly silenced when Danny, without even looking over at her, clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Just wait." He instructed her. She sighed into his hand but nodded her agreement.

A few minutes later, they got off the elevator and stepped out onto the roof.

She felt her breath die in her throat. It was beautiful. There was a garden on Danny's roof! There were leafy plants, a few small trees, and flowers coming out of every possible crack.

"How… Where…?" She trailed off, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Well, this wasn't my doing. It was already here. I just asked to borrow it when I thought of how much you might like to see some actually plants instead of miles of concrete." He explained as he led her through the small but luscious garden.

"You're right… I have missed seeing stuff like this." She replied softly as she followed.

Soon he came to a stop at a small table set for two. It was situated next to a small firepit with a small fire already going.

_Wow… Of all the things I expected… This didn't even come to mind._

He pulled out her chair and then disappeared.

He reappeared a moment later, carrying two covered plates. "Now, I'm not the best cook in the world and I did have to call in reinforcements." He warned her as he sat her plate down in front of her.

She smiled as he pulled the lid off her dish. She gasped. Sitting on the plate in front of her was fried chicken, baked potato, corn, and cornbread. She was looking at a genuine country dinner.

He watched her eyes light up. "I did OK then?" He asked, his voice tentative, something she'd never heard from him before.

"You did amazing!" She exclaimed, shooting him a smile that made him feel like he could die a happy man, right there, in the roof top garden.

"Don't say that until you taste it." He advised as he uncovered his own dish.

She grabbed her fork and knife and cut into it. She paused to inhale the smell. She quickly sliced off a piece of chicken and sunk her teeth into it.

She sighed as the warm flavor coursed through her. "Fantastic Danny." She told him after she'd swallowed the mouthful of chicken.

He smiled at her and took a few bites, watching her as he did so. "I'm glad you like it. I was nervous." He admitted.

She cocked her head at him in question.

"I'm Italian… This is a bit outta my league." He explained, gesturing to the food on the table in front of them.

She grinned, nodding her understanding. "Well, I appreciate you deviating from your comfort zone. I feel special." She teased as she took another bite.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, much to Lindsay's surprise. Not that she'd expected to feel uncomfortable, but she'd been hoping for some kind of tie breaker… Something to make her decision a little easier.

"You are you know." He said, breaking into her thoughts, pulling her back to reality.

"I am what?" She questioned, returning her attention to the good looking man sitting across from her.

He grinned at her confusion. "Welcome back. I was saying you are special." He informed her.

A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "I have a question." She stated after finishing the mouthful of food.

He looked up and caught her gaze. "Shoot." He told her, wiping his hands on the napkin.

"It seems awfully strange that you didn't show any interest in me until after Flack did." She stated.

He looked at her for a moment and cleared his throat. "That's not a question." He returned, obviously trying to stall for time.

She gave him a small smile. "You know what I'm asking you. You practically hated me until Flack asked me out." She told him, her tone indicating that she wasn't buying his tactics.

He sighed and lightly pinched the skin between his eyebrows.

"I didn't hate you Linds." He replied after a tense moment of silence.

"You hated me Danny. You barely spoke to me, you teased me, you did everything you could to make my life miserable." She responded, keeping her voice steady and even.

"I did those things because I wanted to hate you. I really did. But I couldn't. You were… Unhateable." He explained, a little red in the face at his admission.

"Why did you try so hard? What did I do?" She questioned as she took a swallow of wine.

"You didn't do anything except take Aidan's place. And I wasn't ready for that. Mac kept saying that you weren't a replacement, that no one could take her place… But you did. I mean, there was an empty spot and you took it. And I didn't like it. I took it out on you. And I really am sorry for that." He answered as he took a bite of his dinner.

She smiled at him. He'd apologized. That was a big deal. Sensing he'd had enough of that particular topic for the time being, she quickly changed the subject and the rest of dinner was finished soon after.

"Danny…. This evening… It's been fantastic." She told him as they made their way downstairs towards his car.

He placed a hand lightly over her lower back. "Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it." He replied, flashing his grin at her.

The ride back to her apartment was nice. He opened the car door for her and walked her upstairs to her apartment when they got there.

"You know….As nice as all of that is to hear, you still didn't answer my question." She reminded him, not letting him off the hook.

He grinned. She'd learned a lot about interrogation and questioning since she'd moved here and he liked to believe he had something to do with that.

"Like I said, I couldn't hate you. Not only could I not hate you, but I actually started to like you, which, by the way, made my original plan of hating you, very difficult. Now you gotta understand, I never planned on doing anything about it, I don't think I ever entertained it as a real concept. Not until Flack made his move and I guess I just realized it would be stupid to think you'd stay single forever so I did something about it." He replied, keeping his eyes on her the whole time.

She was at a bit of a loss. She hadn't exactly expected that response. All along she'd thought Danny was in this just to make sure Flack wouldn't have an easy time of it, and that thought had been driving her and making it that much easier to believe that she'd ultimately pick Flack.

Thanks to that revelation, Danny had just blown her theory to shreds. He liked her. He genuinely liked her.

"You look sorta upset… Not exactly the reaction I was expecting." He said several moments later, breaking into her session of self torture.

"I'm sorry. It's just a lot to digest. I guess I wasn't expecting your attention to be… Well… genuine." She confessed, finding it best just to be honest.

He was silent for awhile. He felt bad, mostly because normally her evaluation of his intentions would be spot on. But this time that wasn't the case. And he wasn't exactly sure how to prove that to her.

So he went with his gut. He leaned over and brushed his lips to hers.

She'd been surprised by the kiss but excitement quickly replaced hers shock. His mouth felt wonderful against hers. She felt his hands resting on her hips, his fingers lightly digging into her sides, sparking devilish thoughts to shoot through her brain.

She gripped his biceps and pressed up against him, unable to help herself. If this was what letting go felt like… She didn't ever want to hold on again…

After several more heated kisses, he pulled away, his arms still around her.

"Sleep tight." He whispered, squeezing her sides and stepping away.

She was at a loss for words. She just nodded to his retreating back, her eyes stayed on him til he'd completely disappeared.

_What a wonderful, unexpected evening…_ Her blissful thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. She looked down and was jerked back to reality.

It was a text message from Flack…

Reality's a bitch.

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	11. Are We Doing This?

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 11: Are We Doing This?

She dropped her purse to the floor and sunk into the couch, kicking off her heels in the process.

She flipped open the phone and opened the text message from Flack.

_So did you think about me all night:)_

She smiled a little at his words and typed her response.

_Are you stalking me?_

Flack hadn't been. He had, very accidentally, seen Danny and Lindsay driving by when he was heading home from watching the game at the bar. He truly hadn't meant to see them but he didn't really know how to tell her that.

_No. Just a lucky guess. That and you guys drove right by me. Sorry._

She read the text. She didn't hesitate to believe him, Flack was hardly the type to stalk anyone.

Still, she couldn't let the coincidence go un-teased.

_Likely excuse. I thought that was you sitting right outside my building…_

A moment later, she received the next message.

_Angel, I can be outside your building within minutes. Just say the word._

Her heart practically leaped into her throat at the prospect of Flack showing up at her apartment now.

Her first thought was that it wouldn't be fair to Danny. Her second thought was there weren't set rules for this sort of things. If she wanted to have Flack over, she could. It wasn't like she was back at home in Montana, trying to sneak guys into her room.

Deciding the internal argument was over, she quickly responded to Flack's last message.

_I'll leave the door unlocked._

Flack, who'd been about 4 blocks past her apartment at this point, practically choked on his own air. He'd expected her to say no, it wasn't fair, but he wasn't going to argue with her. He jumped over a few lanes and prepared to head back.

She dropped her phone the moment she sent the message and rushed to her room to change.

But the moment she saw her reflection, she decided to at least let him see what he missed.

Her hair, which had been pinned back and up for her evening with Danny was loose and coming down in a few places, framing her face. Her cheeks were flushed from the evening outside. _Forget changing… This is what he gets for hiding my clothes!_

He took the stairs to her apartment two at a time and quietly entered her apartment.

"Lindsay?" He called out, pulling off his jacket. He was in dark denim jeans and a nicely fitted dark blue t-shirt.

She came around the corner, still dressed in her outfit from her date with Danny. His jaw dropped a bit at her appearance.

"Oh… Um… Wow… You look… Amazing." He finally stuttered out, unable to come up with any better words.

She offered him a teasing grin. "Better than last night?" She questioned, cocking her head to the side.

He smiled back at her, seeing her very obvious trap. He took a few steps toward her and leaned down a little to look her in the eye.

"Angel, you could look beautiful in a hefty bag and house shoes." He answered seriously.

So seriously that she had to look away, she was blushing so intensely under the gaze of his dark blue eyes.

"I think I'm going to change." She said after a moment, turning to head back to her room.

"Need me to pick out your pajamas?" He asked as he headed towards the living room.

"Shut up!" She called back. He smiled at her response and started browsing through her movie collection.

Meanwhile, Lindsay was having a minor heart attack in her room. _What sort of pajamas do you wear when you have a man in your living room this time of night??_ She tore through her drawers, quickly rejecting half of it.

She finally came up with a pair of soft white cotton shorts and a slightly baggy New York Yankees jersey. She pulled her hair down, letting the waves hit her shoulders.

She quickly hurried to the bathroom and washed the make up off, applying a very lightly tinted moisturizer and headed to the living room.

"Hey sorry, see something you like?" She asked as she found him reading the back of one of her movies.

He turned, intending only to glance at her but ended up doing a double take. His mouth gaped a bit and the movie clattered to the floor.

"Definitely." He replied, his eyes climbing up her body and back down again.

"What are we watching?" She questioned, cleverly deflecting his words and settling down on the couch as he grabbed another movie off her shelf.

"You'll see." He replied evasively as he slipped the disc into her player and grabbed the remote.

He didn't hesitate in sitting down next to her, moving her legs out of the way as he did so. She moved to tuck them underneath her.

"You can leave them. I'm a gentleman." He told her as he pushed play, not even making eye contact.

She smiled in spite of herself and settled her legs back onto his lap.

He dropped his arms to rest lightly on top of them and the opening screen for "The Wedding Crashers" came on.

She laughed a little at his choice. "I did OK?" He asked, settling back, her nicely toned legs still in his lap.

"You did just fine." She reassured, still reeling from the fact that he was actually there, in her apartment, watching a movie with her.

About 30 minutes into the movie, she noticed he'd picked up a slightly distracting habit. He'd been running his fingers very lightly up and down her calf, tracing patterns from her kneecap to her ankle. She turned to look at him. He was completely focused on the movie, didn't even realize he was being watched.

"Do you do this to every girl you watch movies with?" She teased a moment later, slightly surprised by her own boldness.

He didn't even flinch. "Only the ones who put their very nice looking legs in my lap." He replied, not even turning to make eye contact.

She grinned at his statement. "Well, in that case, I wouldn't want to tempt you further." She responded and went to swing her legs out of his lap.

He grabbed ahold of them before they'd reached the floor and in one swift movement, he pulled them toward him, and thereby pulling Lindsay into his lap.

"Don't even think about it." He whispered, his face mere centimeters from her face. He watched her swallow and grinned at her, knowing he had her now.

Her heart was pounding in her ears, her palms were slightly damp and her breath was coming in very small short pants.

His hand came up and he gently ran it through her hair. When he got to the end of one of her soft curls, he lightly tugged, wordlessly suggesting she move her face closer.

She complied and he very gently touched his lips to hers. The instant his lips touched hers, she wanted more. What she wanted more of, all she could say to that was… Well, him.

Flack's hands didn't stay buried in her hair long as they inched their way down her body, itching to touch every spot of naked skin.

He broke away from her lips only to start a slow journey down her jaw to her neck. He glanced at her, smiling in satisfaction at her response.

Her arms were around his neck, her fingers threaded through his hair. Her head was tilted to the side, her eyes closed, her cheeks flushed, her breath coming in little pants.

His hands traveled to her waist and he very gently nudged her to turn so she wasn't so much sitting in his lap as she was _straddling_ it.

He resumed his torturous path, kissing down her neck and nibbling at her collar bone, which elicited a little whimper from her, causing his blood to boil a little as it sent a jolt of excitement right down the middle of him.

He felt her shift closer, pressing herself against him. _God she feels absolutely amazing._ He dared to kiss a little further, slowly approaching the v-neck of the jersey. He was getting incredibly close to the point of no return.

_I don't know if I can keep doing this and stop…_

"Doll… I hate to do this, but I gotta ask… I don't want you to do anything that you might regret…" Flack whispered as he pulled back.

Lindsay looked into his blue eyes and found nothing but sincerity and concern.

_Oh my god… Am I really doing this?_

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	12. Pages and Awkward Moments

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 12: Pages and Awkward Moments

Lindsay swallowed nervously. _I…Oh… Do I want… Can I…._ She couldn't even put a coherent thought together. So instead, she just decided to let her instincts do the work.

Flack was just about to say something, but she cut him off, with her lips.

They came crashing down on his, catching him slightly off guard, but nonetheless giving him an answer to his question.

He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, and when she wouldn't give him the access he wanted, he very lightly nipped at her lower lip, eliciting a small moan and entrance to her mouth.

His hands had settled at her waist and were itching to feel her skin.

His fingertips eased under the hem of her shirt, grazing her hips and slowly traveling upwards, tracing the dip from her hips to her waist, his fingers climbing higher with each pass.

He felt her sigh against his lips. After several heated kisses, she pulled away and started a trail of small, hot kisses back to his ear, where she lightly bit down on his earlobe, eliciting a hiss from his lips and his fingers squeezing into her sides.

"Aren't we sensitive…" She whispered in his ear as she flicked her tongue along the shell of his ear.

"You…Wow… You have no idea what that's doing to me right now." He muttered, unable to keep his voice as steady as he'd have liked.

She said nothing as she moved down from his ear, moving towards his neck.

His fingers abandoned her skin in favor of the buttons on her jersey. He started at the bottom, slowly picking at each one.

As she was trailing her tongue along his adam's apple, she felt his fingers on the buttons of her shirt. Seconds after that, she realized she wasn't actually wearing a bra underneath her shirt. He was going to get a surprise here in a few moments.

She trailed her kisses a little lower, to the curve where his neck met his shoulder.

His fingers worked through the last few buttons just as she came back up to his lips, pressing her mouth to his, allowing his tongue entrance the moment her lips met his.

His lips never left hers as he pushed the shirt back off her arms. His hands found her waist and traveled upwards, fully expecting the barrier of a bra. When that wasn't the case, he broke the kiss off.

"You aren't…" He stuttered out, his face a little red from their previous actions.

"These are my pajamas. Why would I wear a bra?" She asked hoarsely as her mouth descended on his other ear.

He ground out a moan as his hands traveled north to her naked chest, barely grazing her full breasts, his fingertips only just touching her hard nipples.

She took hold of earlobe and lightly bit down, indicating that he better do more than tease.

He brought his hands up, cupping her breasts in his hand, his fingers grazing her nipples when he felt a vibration in his thigh.

"You have GOT to be kidding me!!" He exclaimed at the ill-timed page he was getting. Before Lindsay could even respond, hers started going off too.

She groaned miserably and hauled herself off his lap, scooping up her jersey off the couch as she walked back to her room.

He let loose with a groan of his own. "That is so so wrong…" He muttered as he watched her head back to her room to change.

"Two minutes and we can go." She called to him as she shed the shorts and pulled on a pair of jeans. She grabbed her bra off the floor and pulled on a button down shirt.

"OK. I'm gonna use the bathroom." He responded, stepping into her bathroom to bring his blood down from a boil.

_Holy Mother of God that woman is hot…._ He tried to banish the thoughts from his head, splashing some cold water on his face.

She gathered her hair back into a no nonsense ponytail and slipped into her boots. She was walking back into the living room just as he was coming out of the bathroom.

"Ready?" She asked as she grabbed her purse.

"Yeah, let me grab my phone, I left it on the table." He told her.

She nodded and headed to the door, grabbing her keys off the sidetable.

She swung open the door and nearly walked right into none other than Danny Messer.

"Hey… Mac sent out a team-wide page. Figured I'd offer you a ride…." He explained, smiling at her, obviously pleased at his thoughtfulness.

She opened her mouth to respond but she wasn't fast enough. "Got it Angel, let's go…. Maybe we'll pick up where we left off after we get done….." Flack trailed off, coming into Danny's line of sight.

"Shit."

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	13. It's That Simple

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 13: It's That Simple

Flack's eyes slid from Lindsay to Danny and back again.

"Yeah so this isn't awkward at all." Flack muttered, running a hand through his hair nervously.

Danny said nothing, just turned and headed out, back to his truck presumably.

"Should we…. Go after him or something?" Lindsay asked a moment later as she pushed her hair back from her face.

Flack turned to face her, not bothering to hide the incredulous look now gracing his features. They didn't have a lot of time but it was apparent that the obvious needed to be stated.

"You do realize that you're allowed to kiss me, right?" He questioned, his blue eyes probing her face.

She nodded her affirmation, but didn't meet his penetrating gaze.

"And you realize that you weren't cheating on him just now, right?" He continued, his tone slow and deliberate. He was out to prove a point.

Again, she nodded her agreement.

"And you realize he knows that you're dating me, right?" He asked, going for the trifecta.

She started to nod again but he shook his head. "Words this time." He instructed her.

"I get it, I have no reason to feel bad. Doesn't mean that I don't." She told him as brushed past him and out the door.

He sighed loudly and pulled the door shut, making sure it was locked.

The ride to the scene was quiet, she appeared to be deep in thought, staring intensely out the window.

"I hate this, I really do. People are getting hurt." She finally said, her voice low and sad. She hadn't meant to hurt Danny. If she'd made a decision and stuck with one man she wouldn't be in this situation.

He sat back in his seat as they came to a stop when the light in front of them turned red.

"He's not hurt." Flack told her flatly, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him.

"Obviously he is." She countered, crossing her arms in front of her, holding her ground.

"Lindsay, Angel, he's… He's jealous. Think about it… He dropped you off and you didn't invite him in. He probably assumed you didn't invite me in last night so he goes with it. But then, he shows up an hour later to offer you a ride to the crime scene and you answer the door with me right behind you… At midnight, looking like we had a little fun… There was only one conclusion to draw… He thinks we slept together." Flack finished.

"But we didn't!" She argued, feeling silly for saying this to him of all people.

"We almost did." He pointed out logically.

She sat back in her seat. "It really did look like we just slept together, didn't it?" She questioned softly.

"Well, think about it. You were in different clothes, I made a comment about picking up where we left off… Which, by the way, that offer is still good." He teased, hoping to get a smile out of her.

It worked. "Stop it. You're terrible." She informed him as they came to a stop at the scene.

It looked like everyone had been pulled in on this one. Mac was in jeans and a button down. Stella was in sweatpants and a zip up hoodie, her hair tied back from her face. Sheldon was in his work clothes, as he'd been the last one to get off, only having left an hour earlier.

Danny was still in his dress shirt but had switched the pants for jeans. He was currently photographing the bloody scene and steadfastly avoiding eye contact with Lindsay and Flack.

They quickly got their assignments from Mac and set about doing their jobs. She began collecting evidence and bagging it while Stella and Hawkes dusted and printed the scene. Flack and Mac wasted no time in gathering witnesses for questioning.

Lindsay did her best to focus on her job, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Danny and the look on his face when Flack had walked up behind her…

_I so did not mean for this to happen…_ She finished bagging the last piece of evidence and pushed herself up from the crouching position and nearly ran right into Danny.

"Oh! Sorry." She muttered as she ducked out of the way. He grabbed her arm.

"Let me take you home?" He questioned. His eyes were as serious as his tone.

_I can't tell him no… Not after what he saw…._ She nodded.

"I'll wait by the truck." He told her quietly.

Again, all she did was nod. She turned away from him and headed back over to the others who were all finishing up.

Flack was just wrapping up his notes when she appeared in front of him. He offered her a warm smile and she offered a small smile in return.

"About ready to head home?" He asked, his tone pleasant and inviting as he tucked his notebook into his pocket.

_About ready to head home? God, that sounds great… So natural… So easy…_

"Don… Danny's going to give me a ride home. He asked if he could and I said yes." She told him nervously.

Don swallowed hard and picked his head up and looked around. He pulled her off to the side, between two buildings, out of sight and earshot.

"Please don't tell me you're going to apologize." He told her, his tone was not as warm now.

She was at a loss for words because that's more or less exactly what she'd planned on doing.

He sighed at her lack of a response. It was all the answer he needed.

"So you're going to tell him you're sorry, fine, great, I can't stop that. But what I wanna know is…. What are you apologizing for? Almost sleeping with me? Or him catching us? Because, from where I'm standin', neither one of those is good for me Linds. So either you're sorry you almost slept with me, which, I gotta tell ya, just makes me feel fantastic, or, you're sorry because we got caught and you aren't apologizing so much for him as you just feel bad and have to fix it… Because you still want him too… Don't you?" He asked, his arms crossed in front of him.

Up to this point, her eyes had been focused on the wall behind him. She'd learned it was hard to look him in the eye when he got this intense.

"I don't know… Maybe…. Yes…." She whispered at last, a single tear forming in her eye.

"Look…. I don't just… Sleep around, OK? I don't do that. I don't just sleep with anyone. I take that seriously. And I thought… I guess I figured… With you inviting me over after your date and telling me you wanted me… I thought he was… I thought you were done with him." Flack confessed.

"You really thought that?" She questioned, her eyes on him now. She'd had no idea that's where he was going with this.

"Yes. Because I do take this seriously. Because I want to be with you." He told her, obviously exasperated.

"It's not that easy Flack." She replied softly.

"It is Lindsay. For me, it is. It's you, OK? It's you. It's just that simple." He argued, folding his arms in front of him as he leaned against the wall of the building.

She shook her head, unable to speak at that moment. Her head was swimming with a million different thoughts and they were swimming too fast for her to get a handle on them.

"So what's it gonna be Linds? What are you going to do here?" He asked, taking a few steps toward her.

She opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a loud honk. Danny.

She looked towards the street and then back at Flack.

"I gotta go. He's waiting." She choked out and started for the street.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed loudly as he turned away from her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. She was fighting back the tears and her breath was hitching in her throat. "This is my life too you know… I just… I need a little more time, please Don. Please…" She softly whispered.

He turned around to face her and could only come up with one thing to say.

"Go."

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So I'm still on the fence about the ending here… It's coming, but I'm just unsure… Stay tuned….


	14. Equations and Lions

Country Girl, City Boys

Chapter 14: Equations and Lions

_Why do I feel like I'm entering the lion's den?_ She pulled open the door to Danny's waiting truck and turned her eyes forward. Her gaze landed on Flack. He was leaning on his truck, openly watching the two of them.

"Guessing he didn't appreciate being brushed off." Danny remarked, his words cutting like a knife.

She said nothing. She got the message loud and clear. Instead, she just climbed in and pulled the door shut.

He started the engine and they pulled out into the light traffic.

Her earlier conversation with Flack kept playing through her head. She really had nothing to be sorry for. She hadn't cheated on Danny. She'd done nothing wrong.

"Danny, I didn't brush you off." She ventured quietly after several tense moments.

He sighed heavily. "I know that. I just… I guess… I thought we had a really good night, you know? And that was just… I didn't know you guys were doing that… I mean, you didn't invite me up or anything, so I just assumed…" He trailed off.

_Flack was right. He's not hurt… He's jealous._ "So… You're upset because you didn't get the same treatment?" She asked, wording her question as carefully as possible.

"You think I'm jealous." He stated, seeing right through her cautiously chosen words.

"Well… That's how it sounds…" She said, now feeling a little unsure of her assessment.

"Maybe I am a little… Or I was… But it's more than that… I guess I just realized that you made your choice… And you didn't pick me." He replied softly.

She wrinkled her brow. "I made my choice? What do you mean?" She questioned, turning to face him.

"I mean you picked Flack." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world.

She raised her eyebrows at his blatant statement.

"C'mon Linds. It's pretty obvious. I mean, it wasn't like you invited me over last night after your date with Flack." He pointed out.

She opened her mouth to argue but he was right. "For the record, he was the one who started it… He text me a few minutes after I got home." She explained, desperately wanting him to see that she hadn't meant it to happen the way it had.

"I get what you're trying to say, but he didn't force his way into your apartment Linds. And I know him well enough to go as far as to say he wouldn't come over without being invited." Danny correctly stated.

She could barely meet his eyes. He was right.

"Montana… It's OK. It's not like you picked Charles Manson over me. The better man won." He told her, laying a hand on her arm.

She picked her head up. "That makes you sound like you're a bad choice." She retorted.

"I'm not the greatest choice. We both know that. I wouldn't have known what to do with a woman as incredible as you. I would have probably screwed it up. I don't do relationships Linds. Not very well at least." He continued, his eyes on the road.

"Then why even bother?" She asked, now wanting to know why he was willing to do this to himself.

"Because I figured if I didn't try, I'd never know. But in the end, you picked the right guy. I knew you'd pick him. I'm glad you did. It means I wasn't wrong about you."

She was shocked at his words. Danny had never actually expected her to pick him.

"You weren't wrong about me?" She echoed, trying to grasp onto this new information.

"He's the one who had the best of intentions. He's the guy who put in all the work. He's the right guy. I've just been keeping up… You wanted him when this all started and I just couldn't help myself…" He sighed softly.

"You didn't want me?" She questioned, now thoroughly confused by his statement.

He gave her a small smile. "Don't remember saying that… All I mean is that he wants you for the right reasons… Let's face it, I don't do these things well and I would have screwed up whatever would have happened between us and that… That wouldn't have been OK with me…" He finished quietly, slowing the car to a stop.

They'd come to a stop by this point. And it was too difficult to look him in the eye. So she let her eyes roam her surroundings and was startled to find out where they were.

"What are we doing here?" She questioned.

"This is where you want to be. I can see that every time I'm with you. It's different with him." Danny stated, not even bothering to pose his words as a question. He stated simply.

"Danny…" She trailed off, unsure of what to say to all of this. This had been the last thing she'd expected.

"It's OK. I'd have to be crazy lucky to land a girl like you, but can't blame a guy for tryin' huh?" He replied, forcing a chuckle at the end.

She unbuckled her seatbelt, turned to face him and opened her mouth to speak.

He cut her off. "It's probably best if you don't." He whispered softly.

She closed her mouth and nodded. She understood. She reached over and covered his hand with hers, squeezing once before stepping out of the car.

She watched him drive off, not really wanting to face the ominous building in front of her.

She'd never been to Flack's apartment before. This was not how she'd imagined the first visit happening.

She stepped up to the building and pulled the door open. After quickly scanning the mailbox names, she deduced he lived on the 14th floor. Not bad for a city cop.

She took her time going up the stairs, wanting to give herself time to work out what she was going to say. She owed him an explanation, an apology, maybe more.

All too soon she found herself face to face with Flack's door. She listened for a moment. The soft sounds of his TV echoed through the door. She took a deep breath and knocked.

A moment later, she heard his steps approach and a momentary pause for him to look through the peephole to see who was distracting him at this hour.

The sound of the bolts unlocking came next. He opened the door and stood before her, filling the frame. He was in his black NYPD pants and wife beater. He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned on the doorframe, waiting for her to talk.

She felt her mouth go dry. His intense blue eyes were boring holes into her.

"How was the ride with Danny? I assume he dropped you off here." Flack said, deciding not to let her speak first.

"Actually, it was good. I'm glad I got the chance to talk to him." She started to explain, but he was already rolling his eyes and turning away from him.

She grabbed his arm and stopped him. "It was good because he helped me realize that you were the person I wanted. Not him. He helped me see that it was you… All along. He apologized for getting in the way. And he brought me here, to you, so I could at least try to make you understand." She told him, holding his gaze with hers.

He stopped his movements. "It doesn't change earlier Lindsay." He responded, his tone wary and tired.

"I know that. And I didn't expect it too. Honestly, I don't expect another chance. I just wanted to apologize for leading you on. I should have done things differently. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry." She explained softly, struggling to maintain her level tone, not wanting him to know this was tearing her up on the inside.

_Don't cry Linds. C'mon. You're almost there. Just tell him you hope you can still work together and walk away._

He held her intense eye contact, seeing that it was breaking her on the inside.

"I just… I would like us to still be able to work together, so I think if we can just be professional, that would be for the best…." She continued, cursing herself for allowing her voice to shake ever so slightly as she tried to pull in a deep breath.

He still said nothing. He felt paralyzed by her words. She wasn't begging to be taken back. She just wanted him to know she was sorry.

"Um well… Good night." She spit out at last, pushing a piece of stray hair out of her face and turning to head down the stairs.

She felt the clack of her boots echo on the stairs as she made it two flights down, her heart breaking with each step. She'd ruined it, she'd ruined everything, all because she'd let the hot bad boy get to her.

"What if I can't be professional?" He called down to her. She looked up. He was leaning over the railing, two flights up.

She stopped in her tracks. "I don't understand…." She replied, not moving from her place.

"I don't think I can do that. I don't think I can go from having everything we did…. To calling you Detective Monroe again. I can't do that." He explained, his tone neutral.

"We can try." She managed to reply, feeling her heart drop to her feet. _This can't be happening…_

"And if I don't want to try?" He questioned.

"Then I guess I'll just… stay out of your way." She said at last, sighing softly as she realized she had no other choice. She started her descent down the winding stairs.

"I don't want that either." He shot back, bringing her to a stop again.

She sighed. She had tried being understanding but this was ridiculous. "Then what do you want Flack? Do you want me to ignore you completely? Switch shifts? Or just quit entirely? So just what is it that you want?" She demanded, flying back up the stairs.

"Well for starters… I'd like, after a long day of work, to be able to meet up with you and have a drink. And then maybe, after doing that for awhile, I'll invite you over and cook for you. I'm not great, but I can hold my own… You could bring the wine… After dinner I could walk you to your cab and kiss you goodnight. And then maybe we'll start dating. Maybe after a few more dates, we'll fool around, you'll let me get to 2nd… Then I'll do something amazingly romantic and…. Well, maybe you'll get lucky and I'll show you my homerun dance." He said as he wrapped his strong hands around her forearms and pulled her to him.

She grinned up at him. "I think you can take the "maybe" out of the equation." She whispered before letting her eyes flutter shut, feeling his lips claim hers.

FINIS!


End file.
